They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and they’d say “Oh that’s interesting.” And that would be the end of it.
--Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels

Sunday, May 22, 2011

David Hewson's "The Fallen Angel"

David Hewson is the author of the Nic Costa series of novels set primarily in contemporary Rome. A former journalist with the London Times and Sunday Times, his work has been translated into many languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai ... and Italian.

Here Hewson shares some reflections on an adaptation of the Nic Costa series:

This is a tough one because it's not academic. All eleven of my Italian novels have been acquired for English-language movie length TV adaptations by the Roman arm of Bavaria, one of the largest media groups in Europe. One side effect of this I get asked about five times a week: who will play Costa?

Honest answer: I don't know and in a sense I don't care so long as it's someone good in tune with the role. Casting decisions are often decided by very practical matters. Sometimes the preferred candidate simply isn't available in the time slot set aside for production. With TV it gets more complicated.

Lots of people have suggested James Franco would make a great Costa. He's good-looking, got that slight touch of innocence about him, and boy can he act. I'm sure he'd do a great job. But we're looking at a multiple production here -- maybe six feature length movies shot back to back. Whoever takes on the regular parts will need to be willing to set aside a substantial chunk of time. Much more than that required for a single movie. Does TV pay as well as movies? Hell, I don't know. I'm just a writer. But I suspect not.

Then there's the upside. The idea is these six TV length movies work so well that we go into production for six more. Imagine a Roman Law and Order, as the New York Times said of the latest book. That would be the kind of thing that ensued. It's not easy to change lead cast members part way through. So I'd guess the production company will be looking for talented people who can commit. Which means, in real terms I suspect (though I emphasise - I am just guessing here - TV is not my field) we're looking at talented little-known actors.

I don't have a problem with that. All well-known actors were unknowns once. TV has made some great careers out there, from George Clooney to Hugh Laurie.

“Compared to a novel, a film is like an economy pizza where there are no olives, no ham, no anchovies, no mushrooms, and all you’ve got is the dough.”
--Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin